For Students

Our Assemblies

Middle / Intermediate & High School

Kids are being encouraged to “try” everything. Our highly trained speakers have been there, done that and are ready to share their personal experiences with your students. They know the negative effects of poor decision making first hand. Steered Straight focuses on helping kids make good decisions through strong discussions about the consequences of bad life choices. Our speakers and your students relate to each other very closely. Students will be touched and affected…guaranteed! Our message resonates and opens the lines of communication between, student, home & school.

“Straight Talk” Bullying Assembly

“Straight Talk” – The Straight Talk assembly delivers a unique message regarding the serious and ubiquitous nature of bullying. This presentation teaches students how to recognize and appropriately manage acts of bullying. It illustrates the consequences of bullying, as well as identifies avoidance techniques and alternatives to conflict.

“Stay In Your Lane” Assembly

“Stay In Your Lane” – Stay In Your Lane is our premier all-encompassing presentation that incorporates the important topics of bullying, drug and alcohol awareness, dating violence, gangs and gang violence as they relate to choices and decisions, with the potential to concentrate on any one specific area upon request. Based on REBT and Consequential Thinking, ad incorporating presenters with real-life stories, students gain the understanding of the importance of making healthy life choices.

“Weed Between The Lines, The Truth about Marijuana and Vaping”

– As perception of harm goes down, youth use of marijuana goes up. Despite what the State of Colorado, numerous proponents of marijuana and the industry have states, youth use has absolutely escalated, and this can be easily proven.
There is a direct link to adolescent use of e-cigarettes and vapes and according to the CDC, middle school use is in excess of 15% and high school use exceeds 30%. The marketing for these products is all geared toward adolescents and it is completely unregulated by the FDA.
The legalization movement has increased youth use to all time highs across America and the age of experimentation and use has decreased. The problem is, almost all of the national conversation that youth get about marijuana are lies. There is an agenda to hook kids early and the media message to Parents and Community is that it is a harmless plant that is no more dangerous than alcohol.
The product has dynamically shifted from what the drug once was. Marijuana has been genetically modified to become a commercialized and industrialized toxic poison. Kids think it’s safe because most parents think it’s safe. Most Americans have no idea what is happening within this new industry. Legal states are selling 100% pure crystals, waxes and e-liquids and they are being commercially marketed across America. These products are unfortunately being bought and shipped over the internet and kids have no idea what they’re subjecting themselves to. Parents aren’t having these conversations because they don’t have the education they need.
This Presentation and/or seminar is geared to three different audiences. Students, Parents and Other Community Audiences.
The student assembly will engage students, open their eyes, and most importantly lead them to question their own misconceptions about what marijuana is and what it can possibly do to the development of their brains. It will directly challenge their desensitized attitude toward vaping, e-juice and e-cigarettes. It educated them in a way no other resource is doing.
The Parent seminar is very in-depth and eye-opening. MOST audience members have absolutely no idea about what is happening. Most parents have no idea how prevalent the use of electronic cigarettes and vapes are among high school and even middle school students. Now THC extracted from marijuana is commercially available for e-cigarettes and people need to know the connection and the amount of marketing beign done to children. Parents need to be more aware than ever.
The Community seminar can be geared toward any audience.
Law Enforcement with a catered education about the risks to the community at large and its ties to enforcement
Educators with a catered message to them to know signs and symptoms, language and what is happening among kids with vaping and marijuana
Business community with a catered presentation regarding the complications and problems they will entail in running a drug-free workplace.

“Under The Influence” – Under The Influence is an assembly for alcohol and drug awareness and prevention. This presentation uses current and salient accounts to demonstrate the real-life dangers associated with the misuse and abuse of alcohol, five categories of illicit drugs, and over-the-counter substances.

“Killing More Than Pain” – Killing More Than Pain is an in-depth Student Presentation which can be done in an assembly format or a workshop format (smaller classroom, lecture hall) that addresses one of the most prevalent and deadly epidemics affecting adolescents of our country today: prescription drug misuse, abuse and overdose. This particular presentation focuses on opiates and opioids but includes education on other prescription classes.
Students are educated on how this epidemic got started, why it is not only continuing but getting worse, and most importantly, how they can stop it. They are educated on the appropriate steps they can take to effectively avoid involvement and prevent it from affecting them personally. The consistent evolution from opioids to heroin is explained and the fatal dangers of synthetic drugs, heroin and opioids is discussed. Students leave with an intense understanding and heightened caution about prescription medication, both prescribed and diverted, and how to look at these products in a much more critical way.

“Transitions” – Transitions is a motivational assembly designed specifically for 5th, 6th, 8th and 12th graders as they prepare to embark upon new chapters of their lives, which are sometimes more confusing than they are exciting. This presentation discusses cornerstones for the transitional periods between educational and developmental stages. In doing so, it better prepares students to navigate and enjoy the next phases of their lives.

“Alternatives To Violence” – Alternatives To Violence is an anti-violence assembly that addresses personal and social issues related to anger, aggression and violence. This presentation underlines communication with trusted adults as a deterrent to violent and aggressive behavior. The speakers incorporate real-life experiences that encourage students to use their voices, not their fists.

“T.A.G.” – T.A.G., which stands for Truth About Gangs, is a gang awareness and prevention assembly. This presentation discusses the harsh realities of gang involvement, including personal costs and legal consequences. It demonstrates how drastically gang migration has expanded in recent years, while illustrating how to avoid such dangerous associations.

“M.A.N. – Up” – M.A.N. – Up is an assembly for male youth who need to learn how to “Move Away from Negativity.” This presentation explores the unique crossroads young males face in the 21st century, while emphasizing the pertinence of responsibility, accountability and courage.

“Drug Court Clients and Staff, It’s All a Set-Up” –

A dynamic and compelling message of overcoming the barriers of re-entry and tackling the stigma of being an ex-offender. Incorporating lessons learned from spending over 10 years in gang involvement, and 17 years in the criminal justice system, Michael delivers a powerful and unforgettable story couples with a conversation. In today’s addiction-plagued culture, drug and alcohol use recruits a growing and diverse population. Much is misunderstood about drug court and its success. Clients will benefit from a messenger that encourages engagement, fosters enthusiasm, and presents a success story.
At the end of the seminar, participants will learn:

A better understanding about recovery.

A better understanding about the responsibility of recovery and the three-legged prong to preventing relapse and recidivism

Be able to articulate the reasoning behind much of the recidivism and relapsing drug use of those with ties to the criminal justice system

Become more open-minded to their own commitment toward successful completion of Drug Court and a stronger Recovery.

We also provide a staff workshop for Drug Court staff, probation and/or parole and the Judiciary. Michael provides a catered and specific message to each audience to gain a better understanding of addiction and those who fall into it, a better understanding of how things are worsening within this epidemic and how to be less jaded gaining an understanding of Recovery.

What Students Are Saying

“Hi, I’m a student at Haddon Heights High School and I would just like to say that the presentation at my school today extremely moved me. I have been struggling the past few years with self-esteem and trying to “fit in”. I’ve experimented with stuff before and I regret it. I’ve moved one from it but I still have urges to do certain things, although I fight them off, sometimes they are difficult and leave me feeling helpless. Thank you for coming to my school and helping me, and along with other students, realize that we’re not alone. :)”Student
Haddon Heights High School

“I think the presentation was very good. A lot of things that were said made me think about choices I’ve made in my life. I definitely learned something today.”8th graderWoodbine Elementary School

“Our school definitely needed to hear what Steered Straight had to say today. A lot of my friends and myself will benefit from what was said today. John was amazing. His story seriously touched us all.”9th graderSchalick High School

“I don’t have to belong to a gang to be loved and accepted. There are positive “gangs” that I can join. It’s okay to say no. I need to get involved in positive things to stay on the right path of life.”11th graderToms River South High School

“Today I learned that it’s okay not to join a gang, that there are “escape mechanisms” that I can use to get out of a bad situation. I don’t have to do what my friends are doing if I know that what they are doing is bad. I need to do the right thing. Following the crowd is not always the right thing to do.”10th grader
Toms River North High School

“There are positive gangs that one can join, such as the Boys Scouts, the Girl Scouts, and youth groups. You don’t have to join a negative gang to be loved. Once you get into a gang, it’s hard to get out. I need to get myself into positive gangs.”10th graderBarnegate High School

“Steered Straight gave a very powerful message today. There are many negative influences in our lives, but we don’t need to go down the wrong path in life. Getting involved in positive gangs, working hard in school, and getting an education are what you need to do. Keeping busy is how you can stay out of trouble. If trouble comes your way, use an escape mechanism to get out of it.”12th graderNew Egypt High School

“I think that they did an especially good job because they weren’t just there to tell us about drugs, they actually went through these things. I know that I learned a lot from the show and I would recommend these four people for any school because I think that some things that they said will stay with me for my entire life. I also think that every time they said something they made one more kid say no because of numerous reasons but the ones Darnell, Karen, Michael and Malik gave were the best.”8th Grader
Franklin Middle School, Nutley, NJ

“I don’t feel like I have to do what my friends are doing.
I don’t have to feel stupid because they think I’m not cool.
I can do what I know is the right thing to do; what my parents would want me to do.
These people showed me that being cool keeps you out of prison because being cool is always doing the right thing, even if it’s not what my friends are doing.”6th Grader
Weed & Seed Summer Program

“I liked Malik. He taught me that I want to be ‘Proactive’, and not a ‘Reactionary’.”5th Grader
A.J. Demarest Middle School, Hoboken, NJ

“I couldn’t believe that these people would really care so much about us. They did so much time in prison and now they’re spending so much time talking to us instead of having fun. First, I didn’t think it was going to be any good. But then, Michael told about someone my age that was never going to come home and I thought about my Mom and Dad and little Sister. I don’t think I’ll hang out with the gang anymore. I could be like that kid in prison. I’ve already seen a guy shoot someone.”9th Grader
International Youth Organization, Newark, NJ

“I really liked the Steered Straight program. It helped me because I am going through some of the problems they had and I really saw how I could handle them. My Aunt died of AIDS and one of the lady speakers said that it was hard because she had a cousin who died of AIDS too. I got to talk to her after it was over and she helped me a lot.”8th Grader
Newton Street School, Newark, NJ

Contact Us

Special Programs

Steered Straight, Inc. special programs are intensive, eight-week courses designed to tackle certain issues that are unique to the targeted populations. All program curricula are founded in the principles of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, as they incorporate consequential thinking and self-defeating beliefs. At the middle school and high school levels, participants’ progress is recorded via pre- and post- test psychological questionnaires.

“T.A.G.” – T.A.G., which stands for “Truth About Gangs,” is a gang abatement program that addresses the harsh realities, and even harsher consequences, related to gang involvement. Participants are taught how to distinguish positive groups from gangs, while learning how to attract positive forces and avoid negative behaviors. Lesson plans are constructed around the six pillars of character education: Fairness, Respect, Caring, Trustworthiness, Citizenship, and Responsibility.

“Ending the Cycle” – Ending the Cycle is a curriculum program designed specifically for children of incarcerated parents. The mission of this program is to teach participants that intergenerational incarceration is a self-fulfilling prophecy, not a pre-determined destiny. Lessons integrate character education as the foundation for social, emotional and behavioral protective factors that can prevent children from following in their parents’ criminal footsteps.

“M.A.N.-Up” – The “MAN” in M.A.N.-Up stands for “Moving Away from Negativity.” Appropriately so, this curriculum program is geared toward male youth and focuses on positive influences, both internal and external, that foster success, promotes education, and helps to develop a healthy lifestyle.